Burial crypt and planter

ABSTRACT

The specification discloses a readily openable crypt made up of an operable cover member having an open top, a cover which seats on the top of the crypt. The cover has a cavity in its top which receives soil for growing plants. The cover has stainless steel bars fixed in it to which a lifting line may be attached for readily lifting the cover to open the crypt. The crypts may be arranged in close relation to each other and the covers readily removed.

nited States Patent Ferver Nov. 2a, 1973 [54] BURIAL CRYPT AND PLANTER 2,110,788 3/1938 Braver 52/137 Inventor: George w. Fewer, 2320 Penna 3,596,419 8/1971 Jalbert 52/137 Ave., Ext. R.D., Warren, Pa. 16315 Primary ExaminerFrank L. Abbott [22] Flledi May 1971 Assistant Examiner-Carl D. Friedman [21] APPL 147,342 AttorneyCharles L. Lovercheck [52] [1.8. CI 47/34, 47/41.], 52/124, [57] ABSTRACT The specification discloses a readily openable crypt 2; gi 'g E0411 3 made up of an operable cover member having an open 1 e f top, a cover which seats on the top of the crypt. The 47741 5 6 cover has a cavity in its top which receives soil for growing plants. The cover has stainless steel bars fixed in it to which a lifting line may be attached for readily [56] Reerences Cited lifting the cover to open the crypt. The crypts may be UNITED STATES PATENTS arranged in close relation to each other and the covers 3,230,674 l/1966 Christensen 52/137 X readily removed. 1,469,459 10/1923 Quigley 52/ 103 2,344,206 3/1944 Forni 52/125 X 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 20 W 9 L J 1O L "M BURIAL CRYPT AND PLANTIER GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION This invention is a specially designed cover for turf top mausoleum entombment crypts which is designed to hold one or more caskets, depending on the crypts depth. This cover is a one-piece casting, the underside of which fits and tongues and grooves with the top edge of the crypt chamber, while the top side of this special cover is a porch box which holds the earth and sod that normally covers a grave. There are four stainless steel pins that are exposed in slots in the top edge of the crypt cover which allows the cover to be picked up by a lifting device, (crane, chain hoist, hi-lift, etc.), complete with sod and all, thus permitting entombment of a casket with no digging of the grave. These multiple entombment vaults with their self-opener covers are usually put in great numbers like mausoleums for maximum utilization of available ground as well as the elimination of all future digging of the grave.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a readily openable crypt.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved crypt construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide the same advantages of dry, drained mausoleum entombment without the expensive granite and stone construction of above-ground mausoleums.

A further object of the invention is to provide a crypt construction where the soil is supported in a container in the closure cover of the crypt. When crypts are arranged in closely related positions and turf is grown over the top, any crypt can then be opened by lifting the cover and turf intact with it.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF Til-IE DRAWINGS FIG. ii is an isometric view of a top loading mauso leum crypt installation according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a lateral cross sectional view of a crypt according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the turf in place in a cross sectional crypt.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a crypt installation according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings show an isometric view of an installation of crypts according to the invention in which FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view of such an installation and FIG. 4 shows one of the crypt covers in the process of removal. The individual crypts themselves are made up of lower crypt chambers that are box-like chambers having an open top and a dome-like bottom 13 with sides 14 and ends 22 integrally attached to the bottom 13 and extending upwardly therefrom defining a receptacle, being a crypt enclosure for a standard size coffin. The intermediate crypts have sides 24 and ends 21 with shoulders 19 extending longitudinally along the inside of the side walls. The shoulders 19 support the interim shelf 20 which may be removed to give access to the lower crypt. The intermediate crypt 11 supports crypt cover 112. The cover 12 has a downwardly facing joint structure forming the tongue and groove joints 117 between intermediate vault and the cover providing sealing means. The cover has the domelike section 27 which is integrally attached to the sides 25 and end 23. The sides 25 and the ends 23 form an enclosure to receive soil 29 on which grass or turf 30 may be grown. The notches 31 are formed in the cover. The notches 31 receive the stainless steel rods 32 which are embedded in the concrete and may be used to lift the cover 12. When the crypts are placed in an installation as shown in FIG. 1, and the covers are put in place, the turf 30 will form a continuous cover over the top of the crypts. The sides 14, 241, and 25 are disposed in a single vertically extending plane so that the crypts can be installed with a minimal space therebetween. Thus, it will appear to be a continuous lawn. The grass will actually bridge across the upper edges of the crypt covers. When it is desired to remove the covers, it is only necessary to lightly trim the edge of some of the grass that overlaps the top edge of the crypt cover and install a lifting mechanism on the rods 32 and lift the soil 29 in the cover together with the undisturbed turf. Then the lower coffin in the crypt may be put in place and the interim shelf 20 may be replaced and the cover 112 replaced. When it is desired to put a coffin in the upper crypt, the cover may again be removed and the coffin placed on top of the interim shelf 20 and the crypt cover 12 replaced. Since the crypts stand directly adjacent each other, there will be a clean space between crypts so that when the cover 12 is removed no dirt or foreign matter will fall down into the crypt chamber.

The space which receives soil 29 has drain openings 37 to drain water therefrom. The space between sides 24 has drains 36. A drain 35 drains the bottom part of the crypt.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A plurality of mausoleum crypts, each said crypt comprising an open topped crypt chamber having vertically extending side walls and vertically extending end walls,

said side walls and said end walls having flat outside surfaces and generally flat inside surfaces generally parallel to said outside surfaces,

said side walls terminating at their upper edges in a cover engaging surface,

a cover for said crypt,

said cover having a dome shaped bottom and means on the underside of said cover engaging said cover engaging surfaces on said chamber,

upwardly extending side walls and upwardly extending end walls on said cover,

said side walls and said end walls being integrally fixed to said dome shaped bottom,

said side walls and said end walls having flat outside surfaces disposed in common planes with the said outside surfaces of said chamber,

said upwardly extending walls on said cover having inside vertically extending surfaces disposed in planes parallel to the respective planes of said side and said end surfaces whereby a receptacle for soil and sod is formed in said cover,

said outside end and side surfaces being adapted to be disposed closely adjacent corresponding sides and end surfaces of similar mausoleum crypts whereby a continuous group of said crypts may be placed with the side surfaces and end surfaces of each adjacent crypt engaging the said crypt adjacent thereto with a substantially continuous layer of sod covering said crypts,

and drain holes in said cover extending through the side walls thereof adjacent the top surfaces of said dome shaped bottom whereby water from soil disposed in said cover can be drained. 2. The crypt recited in claim 1 wherein said crypt 5 chamber comprises an upper crypt member and a lower crypt member, said upper crypt member being supported on said lower crypt member,

and the outside surfaces of said crypt members defining said outside surfaces of said crypt chamber, and said cover being supported on top of said upper crypt member. 3. The crypt recited in claim 1 wherein shoulders are formed in said upper crypt member,

and an intermediate shelf is removably supported on said shoulders whereby a second coffin may be supported above said first coffin in said crypt. 

1. A plurality of mausoleum crypts, each said crypt comprising an open topped crypt chamber having vertically extending side walls and vertically extending end walls, said side walls and said end walls having flat outside surfaces and generally flat inside surfaces generally parallel to said outside surfaces, said side walls terminating at their upper edges in a cover engaging surface, a cover for said crypt, said cover having a dome shaped bottom and means on the underside of said cover engaging said cover engaging surfaces on said chamber, upwardly extending side walls and upwardly extending end walls on said cover, said side walls and said end walls being integrally fixed to said dome shaped bottom, said side walls and said end walls having flat outside surfaces disposed in common planes with the said outside surfaces of said chamber, said upwardly extending walls on said cover having inside vertically extending surfaces disposed in planes parallel to the respective planes of said side and said end surfaces whereby a receptacle for soil and sod is formed in said cover, said outside end and side surfaces being adapted to be disposed closely adjacent corresponding sides anD end surfaces of similar mausoleum crypts whereby a continuous group of said crypts may be placed with the side surfaces and end surfaces of each adjacent crypt engaging the said crypt adjacent thereto with a substantially continuous layer of sod covering said crypts, and drain holes in said cover extending through the side walls thereof adjacent the top surfaces of said dome shaped bottom whereby water from soil disposed in said cover can be drained.
 2. The crypt recited in claim 1 wherein said crypt chamber comprises an upper crypt member and a lower crypt member, said upper crypt member being supported on said lower crypt member, and the outside surfaces of said crypt members defining said outside surfaces of said crypt chamber, and said cover being supported on top of said upper crypt member.
 3. The crypt recited in claim 1 wherein shoulders are formed in said upper crypt member, and an intermediate shelf is removably supported on said shoulders whereby a second coffin may be supported above said first coffin in said crypt. 